jadewahoo wrote: 

Define sand...

 jadewahoo wrote:

Um, those of us who don't expect to find out what's happening on our planet by holding our hands over our ears and listening to the blood rush?

 jadewahoo wrote: 
Whether or not these problems are due to climate change or not, don't we still want to be concerned about the changes that are taking place?

 miamizsun wrote: 
Who cares what the effen 'news' says? Since when have we abdicated our right to think and comment to some cut-and-paste reality show? Sad, sad, sad state of affairs when the people have been reduced to regurgitators of someone else's opinions and no longer trust their own heart and knowingness.

 rosedraws wrote: 
If you read the news, this was not attributed to global warming or AGW.

See video on BBC.

 jadewahoo wrote: 
WOW

Animation of Giant Iceberg Collision as Seen From Space

The collision in early February of the 60-mile-long B-9B iceberg with the protruding tongue of the Mertz Glacier in East Antarctica is captured here in a series of satellite radar images.

The crash created a second massive iceberg nearly 50 miles long and 25 miles wide, named C-28. The name means that it’s the 28th glacier since 1976 that has broken off from the quadrant of Antarctica that faces Australia.

The two icebergs have since drifted into a polynya, which is an area of open water that’s surrounded by sea ice but stays unfrozen for much or all of the year. The bergs are obstructing the ocean circulation created by the polynya, and could deprive local marine life of oxygen if they don’t move.

The images were taken by the synthetic-aperture-radar instrument aboard the European Space Agency’s Envisat satellite.

Images: ESA

—————————————————————————-

Nothing to worry about here folks, just stick your head in the sand or move along.

 marko86 wrote: 
Ehhhh? Its not our fault, don't worry about it, everythings gonna be fine! Scuse please, Ima goin shopping for a bright yellow Hummer!

Siberian Methane Could Fast-Track Global Warming

Siberian Methane Could Fast-Track Global Warming

Unexpectedly huge quantities of Siberian methane are being released into the atmosphere, according to a new study. The resulting feedback loop could dramatically outpace the climate models that scientists and policy makers have been using as they attempt to roll back emissions.

When it comes to climate change, methane is bad news: It is 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide in causing increased atmospheric temperatures.

 Welly wrote: 
Welly, thanks, I saw that earlier, and I agree with a lot of what she says.

However, good luck getting the big dogs like the UN, World Bank,IMF, etc. and all the way on down to the state and local folks to play ball.

Too many bad guys (bankers and politicians) in the way.

They're in control and unfortunately not enough folks are willing to try and change things.

Regards

 RichardPrins wrote: 
Richard, this is sad. After I thought about all of this, it really doesn't surprise me, the politics of it all. The UN and IPCC are political organizations so why wouldn't every fruitcake and bureaucrat on both sides of this issue get involved? It's how things are done. It's like a bill moving through congress. By the time it reaches the floor its got so much silly BS attached to it - it isn't even funny.

Regards

The Story of Cap & Trade from Story of Stuff Project on Vimeo.

PARIS - Europe's system for industrial carbon quotas has enriched the continent's biggest polluters, with ten firms together reaping permits for 2008 alone worth 500 million euros, a new report revealed.

Dominated by steel and cement makers, the same "carbon fat cats" stand to collect surplus CO2 permits that — at current market rates — could be worth 3.2 billion euros (4.3 billion dollars) by 2012, it said.

This is roughly equivalent to the entire EU investment in renewable energy and clean technology under its economic recovery plan, according to Sandbag, a non-profit group in Britain that analyses carbon market policy.

"Emissions trading is meant to be the central policy for cutting CO2 levels," said Anna Pearson, Sandbag's top policy analyst.

"The fact that companies are able to make large sums of money for doing nothing highlights that the trading scheme must be reformed and EU climate change target strengthened."

Under the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), the European Union allocates carbon polluting allowances to member states to meet obligations laid out in the UN's Kyoto Protocol, for which the first commitment period runs through 2012.

The states then assign quotas to the industries that belch the most CO2 into the atmosphere.

Companies that emit less than their allowance can sell the difference on the market to companies that exceed their limits, thus providing — in theory — a financial carrot to everyone to become greener.

But the energy, steel and cement sectors that dominate the system, hit by the global crunch, are emitting less CO2 than forecast, which means surplus carbon permits are flooding the market.

Among the top ten beneficiaries, steelmaker ArcelorMittal collected more than 40 percent of the 2008 excess permits, reported Sandbag.

French cement giant Lafarge got about 12 percent, with Tata steel group subsidiary Corus and Swedish steel maker SSAB-Svenskt Stal each claiming about 10 percent.

Even if the permits are not directly resold for profit, the value will still remain on the companies' books, rising or falling with the market.

Most of the permits were generated simply because the companies were allocated more free permits than they wound up using, according to the report.

"Little or no actual 'effort' toward emissions reductions need have taken place, yet these companies will be able to literally bank the profits," it said.

The price of a tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) or its equivalent has fallen sharply over the last 18 months.

After peaking at nearly 30 euros (38 dollars) in mid-2008, CO2 is currently trading at about 13 euros, according to BlueNext, one of several European carbon exchanges.

Viewed narrowly, the recession-driven drop in CO2 emissions helps the environment.

But low carbon prices give businesses little incentive to develop and install new technologies to slash future emissions.

 miamizsun wrote: 

Interesting story.....

Scientists Locate Apparent Hydrothermal Vents off Antarctica

"Scientists at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have found evidence of hydrothermal vents on the seafloor near Antarctica, formerly a blank spot on the map for researchers wanting to learn more about seafloor formation and the bizarre life forms drawn to these extreme environments."

"Of course, finding vents in polar waters is not easy, even with a rough idea where to look. In 2007, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution geophysicist Rob Reves-Sohn led a team of scientists to the Gakkel Ridge between Greenland and Siberia to look for vents detected six years earlier. Although they discovered regions where warm fluids appeared to be seeping from the seafloor, they failed to find the high-temperature, black smoker vents they had come for. In a pending paper, Sohn now says he has narrowed down the search to a 400-kilometer-square area where he expects to find seven new vents, including at least one black smoker."

"The search for vents off Antarctica may be equally unpredictable, but the map produced by the Lamont scientists should greatly improve the odds of success, said Robert Newton, a Lamont oceanographer and study co-author. "You don't have to land right on top of a vent to know it's there," he said. "You get a rich mineral soup coming out of these smokers-methane, iron, manganese, sulphur and many other minerals. Once you get within a few tens of kilometers, you can detect these other tracers."

 OlderThanDirt wrote: 


Damn polluter!

 Steve wrote: 
If the judge farts, does he have to disqualify himself?

 Welly wrote: 
I have no clue on their funding, but my guess would be a law firm working on contingency.  I'd bet that they want a minimum of 50% of the winnings.  It's about the money, nothing else.

 Steve wrote: 
Well. It'll certainly be interesting to see how far they get with this one. Almost a test of the system, in a way. I wonder who is funding them?

 sirdroseph wrote: 
It always has to be somebody's fault.